Mavericks-Jazz Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTOPosted Jan 06 2013 10:16PM

Following their 11th defeat in 13 games, Carlisle and the Mavericks are hoping Nowitzki can help them turn things around Monday night against the host Utah Jazz.

Dallas (13-21) is only two seasons removed from winning its first NBA title, and it has reached the playoffs 12 years in a row.

The Mavericks are struggling to replicate their recent success in 2012-13, though, and things only seemed bleaker following Saturday's 99-96 overtime defeat at home to New Orleans, the team with the worst record in the Western Conference.

"It feels like (rock bottom). Yeah, it feels like it. I still believe in the team and I like the guys," Carlisle said. "This is just a tough time and it's important that everybody sticks together and we've got to fight through it."

Having a healthy Nowitzki would surely help, too.

The 11-time All-Star made his return to the starting lineup Saturday, scoring 20 points with six rebounds in 34 minutes. He was averaging 10.0 points and 4.3 boards as a reserve over the previous six games after missing the first 27 recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery.

"Obviously, I'm not quite there yet, it's still a work in progress, especially playing 30 minutes and then being asked to get the ball down the stretch every time and make something happen, I don't think I'm at that point yet," Nowitzki said. "But I'm going to keep working on going in the right direction and turn it around, pull some of those close games out and get some of those wins."

Dallas could certainly use that since it's lost 10 consecutive games that have reached overtime, matching an NBA record held by three other teams. Seven of those defeats have come this season - five in the past 13 games.

Another one happened at Utah (17-18) on April 16, when Nowitzki scored 40 points in a 123-121 triple-OT loss.

The Mavs, who are opening a three-game trip, didn't fare well in their most recent visit to Salt Lake City on Oct. 31, falling 113-94 while shooting 37.6 percent from the floor. They're 5-14 on the road, losing seven of eight while surrendering 108.9 points per game.

The Jazz have dropped eight of 12 overall, but they're making a brief stop at home, where they are 10-4 while averaging 101.6 points.

Utah will try to continue that success while bouncing back from its worst shooting performance of the season, making 35.9 percent from the field and committing 19 turnovers in a 110-91 loss at Denver on Saturday.

Al Jefferson was one of the major culprits, hitting just 4 of 13 shots and finishing with 12 points. The center may be looking forward to a return home, where he averages 19.9 points compared to 14.9 on the road, but he scored only 12 on 4-of-11 shooting against Dallas in October.

Marvin Williams had 21 points in that meeting, but he is averaging just 5.8 and shooting 32.5 percent in his last six games overall.

Dallas' O.J. Mayo is looking to bounce back from a rough performance. He scored 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting against the Hornets, three days after putting up 30 in a 119-109 OT loss at Miami.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Hayward scores 27 to lift Jazz over Mavericks

By LYNN DeBRUINPosted Jan 08 2013 1:12AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Dallas Mavericks had no answer for Gordon Hayward.

Hayward scored a season-high 27 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the Utah Jazz past Dallas 100-94 on Monday night.

"He hurt us all night long," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of Hayward. "He's a very athletic player. He is very skilled and he understands how to play. He got to us time and time again."

Hayward hit back-to-back 3s and Marvin Williams followed with another to get the Jazz even at halftime. Hayward drained another with 2:19 left in the fourth to bump Utah's lead to 93-86.

Dirk Nowitzki scored six straight for Dallas after that but also was called for a charge with 32 seconds remaining as he tried to get Dallas within two.

"When we buckle down and we really guard people, we're a pretty scary team," Hayward said.

Nowitzki led the Mavs with 20 points in his second start this season after missing the first 27 games because of offseason knee surgery.

The Jazz (18-18) wouldn't let anything come easy for the perennial All-Star, especially in the fourth when the game became nasty.

Derrick Favors tangled with Nowitzki in the lane, leaving him in a heap on the floor. The 14th-year pro had others swiping at him.

"They went to thugging it out," Carlisle said. "That's where the game turned. That's when the officiating went their way. They started to get calls. .

"There were a couple of times when I thought there were fouls that were missed and I thought we should have been shooting free throws."

Utah, meanwhile, is learning to play without one of its top players in point guard Mo Williams, out six weeks following surgery on his right thumb.

With the game on the line, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin went with Alec Burks, Hayward and Randy Foye.

Burks responded with a season-high 13 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.

"We needed to get some pace, we needed to get some scoring," Corbin said. "I was a little concerned with the speed of (Darren) Collison awhile on the point, but I thought Gordon and Alec did a good job of trying to stay between him and the basket. And it gave us a bunch on the offensive end."

Al Jefferson added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Utah (18-18), which has won both meetings with Dallas this season.

Dallas led by as many as eight points late in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Nowitzki, but the Jazz fought back.

Burks' 3-pointer tied the score at 86 with 4:35 remaining, and Hayward's spinning layup after he stole the ball from Nowitzki gave Utah an 88-86 lead.

Al Jefferson then went at Elton Brand and got the call with 2:54 left and a technical on Brand. The Jazz sank 2 of 3 free throws to bump their lead to 90-86.

Hayward's fourth 3-pointer made it a seven-point Utah lead.

Nowitzki got the Mavs within three points but that's as close as they got as O.J. Mayo came up empty on several late shots. He finished with 13 points but was just 5 of 14 shooting, including 1 of 8 from beyond the arc and 0-5 in the fourth.

"It's difficult," Brand said of losing games late. "We're right there. We're playing much better; we just can't close out the game. That's our next step."

NOTES: Retired Jazz C Mehmet Okur stopped by the arena Monday morning to say hello to staff. ... Dallas owner Mark Cuban tweeted Saturday night after yet another loss that he "was sorry to NBA fans. I've tried for 13 yrs to fix the officiating in this league and I have failed miserably. Any suggestions. I need help." ... Mavs C Brandan Wright did not play Monday because of a strained left quadriceps. ... Carlisle on Monday said it was premature to discuss the possibility of calling up veteran guard Mike James from the D-League's Texas Legends. . Dallas dropped to 1-13 on the road when opponents score 100 points or more.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Jazz 100, Mavericks 94

THE FACTS: A fresh haircut and clean shave transformed Gordon Hayward into a baby-faced assassin on Monday night.

Hayward scored a season-high 27 points and had six rebounds and five assists to lead the Utah Jazz to a 100-94 victory over the reeling Dallas Mavericks. It was the sixth straight game Hayward has scored in double figures as his play is starting to warrant him being picked ninth overall in the 2010 NBA draft.

The Mavericks led by eight points early in the fourth quarter before letting the game get away from them. Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points and had five rebounds and five assists, but the Mavericks fell to 1-7 since his season debut on Dec. 23. Dallas has lost 12 of its last 14 games.

QUOTABLE: "Hayward had a great game. He hurt us all night long. He is a very athletic player. He is very skilled and he understands how to play. He got us time and time again. The 3's at the end of the first half were big because we had a lead. There were a few plays down the stretch where he hit a shot or got his hand on the ball or something. All those things add up." -- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Hayward.

THE STAT: The Jazz protected the basket well, blocking eight shots. Some of the blocks came on hustle plays, as they denied the Mavericks on fast-break opportunities. Seven of the blocks came in the first three quarters and helped Utah stay in the game while it struggled offensively.

TURNING POINT: It took Derrick Favors getting his fifth foul on a takedown on Nowitzki for the Jazz to find a spark. Utah outscored Dallas 19-4 over the next nine minutes after Favors put a hard foul on Nowitzki with 11:16 remaining in the game. The Jazz scored on three straight possessions to get within 82-80. Alec Burks tied the game with a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, and Hayward put Utah ahead 88-86, finishing after a behind-the-back dribble and sweet spin move past Darren Collison. Hayward also capped a 13-0 run by splashing in a 3-pointer to give Utah a 93-86 lead.

HOT: Hayward played one of the best games of his career, and it was needed because the rest of Jazz mostly struggled until the fourth quarter. Hayward shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range and scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter. His 15 points in the second quarter were a season-high for a quarter. He also blocked two shots and had a steal. For the Mavericks, Chris Kaman appeared to be having a career game early on. He made four of his first six shots and scored 14 points in the first half. He was held scoreless after halftime.

NOT: The Mavericks' fourth quarter offense was abysmal. They scored just 14 points on 31.3 percent shooting. They had a four-minute stretch without scoring in which they shot 0-for-3 and had three turnovers. O.J. Mayo struggled the most in the fourth, shooting 0-for-5 with four missed 3-point attempts.

QUOTABLE II: "We needed to get some pace. We needed to get some scoring. We got in a lull there. I was a little concerned with the speed of Collison for a while on the point, but I thought Gordon and Alec did a good job of trying to stay between him and the basket. And it gave us a bunch on the offensive end." -- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on finishing the game with Hayward, Burks and Randy Foye on the court together.

GOOD MOVE: Jazz fans finally got their wish as Burks played meaningful minutes down the stretch. Burks didn't appear to warrant getting crunch-time minutes, as he was 1-for-6 from the field at one point. But playing him at point guard paid off, as he facilitated the offense and helped the Jazz pick up their pace in the fourth quarter. In fact, the lineup of Burks, Hayward, Foye, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson was highly effective for Utah in the fourth quarter.

BAD MOVE: Dallas didn't match Utah's physicality in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks seemed to back down after Favors fouled Nowitzki early in period, and didn't do enough to protect the ball on offense or keep the Jazz away from the basket on defense.

NOTABLE: Dallas fell to 1-13 on the road when opponents score 100 points or more. Nowitzki led the Mavericks in scoring for the second time this season. Utah has defeated Dallas three straight times. Jefferson had his 16th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Burks scored a season-high 13 points. Kaman was whistled for a flagrant foul for hooking Jefferson in the head in the third quarter. Jefferson, not known for his defense, drew a charge on Nowitzki with Utah ahead 96-92 with 32.2 seconds remaining.